If you or someone in your home is in need of immediate medical care, where do you go? Depending on the nature and severity of the illness or injury, you probably either call your family doctor or head straight to the nearest hospital emergency room.
However, have you ever considered seeking emergency medical care via a local urgent care facility? Over the last 15 years or so, the number of new urgent cares popping up across the United States has made it easier than ever to find a local urgent care facility in almost any community.
Although urgent care centers do not have the resources to treat traumatic injuries or serious illnesses, urgent care staff are made up of physicians, physicians, nurse practitioners, and RNs who are full capable of offering walk in care for most minor injuries or illnesses.
For example, it is possible for individuals needing treatment for bone fractures, sprains, lacerations, strep throat, the flu, or other non-life threatening to find urgent care nearby their homes. Additionally, urgent care centers can also perform physicals, immunizations, or quick blood pressure checks.
Time savings is one of the most significant advantages of choosing an urgent care over hospital emergency room care. In fact, 80% of all urgent care patients can expect to be treated within an hour, while more than half will receive care inside of 15 minutes! Aside from the most critical injuries, how often do hospital emergency rooms offer that kind of services.
While the time savings is great, the affordability of urgent cares is an even bigger perk. According to recent estimates, the typical urgent care charges 40% to 50% less than the average hospital emergency room. This means that people without insurance coverage might find urgent care facilities the ideal place to get immediate medical treatment.
If you like the idea of receiving faster medical care for half the cost a hospital emergency room charges, it is in your best interest to seek fast medical treatment via an urgent care facility. After all, why wait longer and pay more for the very same medical care? Read more like this.